Copper Rockfish, Sebastes caurinus

Copper Rockfish, Sebastes caurinus, Juvenile. Fish caught from coastal waters off Redondo Beach, California, August 2016. Length: 12.1 cm (4.8 inches). Catch and photograph courtesy of Ben Cantrell, Peoria, Illinois. Identification courtesy of Milton Love, University of California, Santa Barbara, Goleta, California.

Copper Rockfish, Sebastes caurinus. Both fish caught from coastal waters off Ejido Eréndira, Baja California, February 2015. Catch, photographs and identifications courtesy of Chris Wheaton, Fullerton, California. Identifications reconfirmed by Milton Love, University of California, Santa Barbara, Goleta, California.

Copper Rockfish, Sebastes caurinus. Both fish caught from coastal waters off Sitka, Alaska, September 2015. Catch, photographs and identifications courtesy of Chris Wheaton, Fullerton, California. Identifications reconfirmed by Milton Love, University of California, Santa Barbara, Goleta, California.

Copper Rockfish, Sebastes caurinus. Fish caught from coastal waters off Brookings, Oregon, January 2016. Length: 26 cm (10 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Luke Ovgard, Klamath Falls, Oregon.

Copper Rockfish, Sebastes caurinus. Fish caught from coastal waters off Santa Cruz, California, May 2016. Length: 28 cm (11 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Andrew Hansen, Santa Cruz, California.

Copper Rockfish, Sebastes caurinus. Underwater photograph taken in the coastal waters off Monterey, California, February 2022. Photograph and identification courtesy of Bob Hillis, Ivins, Utah.

The Copper Rockfish, Sebastes caurinus, is a member of the Rockfish and Scorpionfish or Scorpaenidae Family, that is known in Mexico as rocote cobrizo. Globally, there are one hundred eight species in the genus Sebastes, of which fifty-three are found in Mexican waters, all in the Pacific Ocean.

The Copper Rockfish has a narrow body with a depth that is 34% to 38% of standard length. They have a high spiny dorsal fin and sharp snout. They are highly variable in color ranging from cream to yellowish-brown to a reddish dark brown to almost black. They are dark above their lateral line, which is broken up with white patches. They have a stripe that runs diagonally from their eye toward the edge of their gill cover and another from their upper jaw. Fish taken from the more northern part of their range have a darker coloration. Their head is relatively short with a small terminal mouth and large eyes. Their anal fin has 3 spines and 5 to 7 rays; their caudal fin is slightly rounded; their dorsal fin has 13 spines and 11 to 14 rays; and, their pectoral fins have 16 to 18 rays. They have 26 to 33 gill rakers. Their body is covered with prominent scales.

The Copper Rockfish is a demersal species that is found in heavy rock structures from very shallow coastal waters to depths up to 408 m (1,340 feet). They are solitary individuals or are found in small groups mixed in with as many as 8 or 9 different species of rockfish. They reach a maximum of 66 cm (2 feet 2 inches) in length, with males being larger than females. As of January 1, 2024, the International Game Fish Association world record stood at 3.74 kg (8 lbs 4 oz) with the fish caught in coastal waters off Homer, Alaska, July 2022. Reproduction is oviparous with each female releasing between 16,000 and 640,000 pelagic eggs annually. They have lifespans of fifty years. The Copper Rockfish is poorly studied with very limited information available about their lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, longevity, movement patterns, diet, habitat use, and reproduction.

The Copper Rockfish is a resident of Mexican waters of the Pacific but has a limited distribution being found from San Quintin, Baja California, northward along the northwest coast of Baja.

The Copper Rockfish is easily confused with the Gopher Rockfish, Sebastes carnatus (more heavily blotched on back and sides; lateral line not continuously broken up by color spots; light blotches on upper back).

From a conservation perspective the Copper Rockfish has not been formally evaluated. They are a strong component of the West Coast commercial fishery taken predominately by hook and line. They are marketed fresh, frozen, and live. They are also an important component of the recreational catch in the northern part of their range. Overall populations of the Copper Rockfish have declined by approximately 20% in the last 50 years.